In My Kitchen, November 2014

Welcome to what’s in my kitchen, a monthly series hosted by Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. What I have isn’t much this month. I haven’t done much shopping and I think that’s the best way to get new things in your kitchen unless you get lots of gifts. No such luck.

So first we have my favourite sandwich in the whole world. It’s chicken breast (or turkey) that’s been well cooked but still juicy, a layer of stuffing and then a layer of cranberry sauce. Back in Maine at Big G’s Deli just up the road from where my mother lived, it’s called the Miles Standwich (of Miles Standish, Pilgrim Thanksgiving fame). John rolls his eyes but that doesn’t bother me.

He’ll say, “Who puts cranberry sauce and stuffing on a sandwich?”

I reply, “Who dreamed up Vegemite?”

BOOM! Then I quit while I’m ahead before he thinks about a fluffernutter.

I did get a lovely gift this month from Sara at Belly Rumbles when I won her Halloween giveaway. American candy, people! I tossed in a few of those pumpkin kisses in Joan’s Halloween basket and she fished them out one by one and ate them all. I should have said, “That’s American candy, Joan!” When John and I got together his mother was convinced Americans were all like you see on tv who talk loudly and chew gum. She learned to love me in spite of my American ways.

My second favourite sandwich is tuna salad with onions, mayo and celery then dusted with a bit of ordinary paprika. John doesn’t do mayonnaise so it’s all for me.

I went to Costco recently and all this was on Rob’s shopping list for his room at the nursing home. “Why so much?” I asked him.

When Joan comes to his room to visit she eats all his chocolate covered raisins and takes a jar of mints back to her room. We’re not sure whether she’s eating them or giving them away but either way, Rob’s out of mints and raisins. He gets a dry mouth from some of his medication and the mints help. The tin of cookies we brought for Joan and in spite of being no bigger than a minute, went through quite a few within minutes of opening them up.

I went to the Noosa Beach House restaurant created by Peter Kuruvita for the Sheraton Noosa Spa and Resort and came home with these two gems. (post coming soon) I wish I could invite you over for dinner when I crack these two bottles open.

Finally, my best four-legged friend is in dire need of a haircut. He wants it shorter but he doesn’t like to go through the trauma of getting it done so we wait til the last minute. He’ll look like a sheared lamb this time next week. The wonderful woman who helps me tidy the place up didn’t have her thinking cap on when she put two bags of treats (open!) on the bottom shelf of the pantry. I often leave the door open when I’m cooking and I left and went upstairs.

I saw that sandwich at the beginning of the post and wanted right away and it’s not even breakfast time! I love tuna salad sandwiches as well – mmm think I will take one of lunch today – thanks for the inspiration Maureen.

I love tuna sandwiches! Besides celery & & onions, we add some finely chopped dill pickle and some hard boiled egg and we serve it on toasted bread with some lettuce and thin slices of tomato.

The other way is making it with chopped pecans and chopped apple with a little mayo…poor Charlie, pooping under the dining room table is like getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar…
Have a blessed day!

So many yummy goodies in your kitchen this month, especially the candy and biscuits. I didn’t get ANY Halloween candy this year as I gave away the little package I got Friday, at work to a challenging student who got a lot of work done in spite of it … to share with his friends. Since I was so good, I baked today. 🙂

Hehe a lovely look into your kitchen today! I’m so glad that you said that you like stuffing in a sandwich-we do too! Sometimes Mr NQN goes to work with just stuffing and some mayo in his sandwich. Sounds strange and perhaps awful but it’s really good and he loves it! 😀

Maureen – I love your reply to that cranberry/stuffing sandwich quandary! And aren’t Costco raisins the best – I completely understand Joan eating her way through them! And sounds like your Charlie needs to take a lesson from my Tawny – when ever she eats something she shouldn’t – she clears the scene of the crime – doesn’t even come near it when she is called to!! 🙂

Maureen – I love your reply to that cranberry/stuffing sandwich quandary! And aren’t Costco raisins the best – I completely understand Joan eating her way through them! And sounds like your Charlie needs to take a lesson from my Tawny – when ever she eats something she shouldn’t – she clears the scene of the crime – doesn’t even come near it when she is called to! 🙂 :!

G’day! LOVED you post today Maureen as it truly brightened my day!
LOVE cranberry sauce on sandwiches and tuna…thanks for taking me down Memory Lane!
Great kitchen view and think Charlie was being framed in a fun sort of way too!
Cheers! Joanne

I absolutely REFUSE to believe Charlie did anything. If anything, I think a racoon must have gotten in and framed them. Or a squirrel. Or even a bird! 😛
Love the peek into your kitchen Maureen, now I need some raisins! 😀

Charlie is gorgeous and so enterprising. He must have thought it was Christmas Day! I can’t believe how much Joan and Rob eat and yet they’re so very thin. Where does all that food go? I do love the look of your chicken sandwich and tell John I love a chicken or turkey sandwich with lots of cranberry and stuffing – it’s a Boxing Day treat that I look forward to year after year and there’s hell to pay if all the turkey, stuffing and cranberry are eaten on Christmas Day with nothing left for a sandwich the next day xx

Charlie looks so sweet. I love the look of your chicken sandwiches and yes love it with cranberry and stuffing too. I’m heading to Noosa next week for a long awaited for girls trip so will be sure to get my hands on some of those sauces, they look delicious! Thanks for the peek into your kitchen.

Years ago my favorite sandwich bar did turkey, stuffing, cranberry, cream cheese and lettuce. It was my all time favorite sandwich and I still make it when I have all the planets lining up with my ingredients. It has the juicy turkey, sweet cranberry, crunchy lettuce, velvety cream cheese and of course who says no to stuffing??

Naughty Charlie! But it couldn’t be helped, it’s like you put them there as an invitation to dig in. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I do love this series, I’m hoping to participate again soon.

I put stuffing on bbq chicken sandwiches for littlej, but she likes it with mayonnaise, cheese and lettuce. Once I was making turkey, cream cheese and cranberry sauce rolls but we ran out of cranberry sauce. I substituted a smear of raspberry jam instead and received so many compliments! Just shows you never know what’s going on in a restaurant kitchen behind the scenes 🙂 I’m glad you got a fix of your seasonal candy, you must miss it indeed!

You know, I usually agree with John, but this time I’m on your side – stuffing in a sandwich is the BOMB. I love it and won’t let the charcoal chicken folks cut up my chicken for me, because I end up with less stuffing that way. I think your turkey standwich looks wonderful! I had to laugh at Rob buying extra mints because Joan keeps nicking his! And American candy! What I want to know is – did you carve the pumpkin for Halloween? 🙂

Maureen, thank you for this sandwich spectacular issue of IMK. I’ll help you eat your tuna salad sammiches any day! (Or the “Miles.”) I’m also a sucker for “candy corn” this time of year… one of my few self-imposed sugar rushes. Charlie has that same “guilty pleasure” posture after his pantry raid. 🙂 Ahhhhh… pure bliss!